Autonomous Waste Collection Assembly And Medical Waste Collection System And Methods

ABSTRACT

An autonomous medical waste collection assembly comprises a base adapted to be positioned near a patient. At least one wheel is powered to move the base along a floor surface. A waste collection unit is coupled to the base for receiving medical waste from the patient. The waste collection unit includes a canister for holding the medical waste. A controller is operable to initiate a waste disposal protocol. The waste disposal protocol includes transmitting a movement signal to the powered wheel for automatically moving the autonomous medical waste collection assembly away from the patient to a disposal station. A user input device is in communication with the controller. The user input device is adapted to provide a user input signal in response to being actuated by a user. The controller is configured to initiate the waste disposal protocol in response to receiving the user input signal.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to and all the benefits of U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 62/575,833, filed Oct. 23, 2017, theentire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

Medical waste collection devices may be used in a hospital or otherhealth care setting. For example, mobile rovers are employed to collectmedical waste such as bodily fluids, body tissues, irrigation liquids,and smoke during medical and surgical procedures. The medical waste isoften stored in a canister mounted to the medical waste collectiondevice that must be emptied and cleaned before, during, or after theprocedures. Currently, hospital personnel such as nurses and operatingroom assistants must suspend their duties to carry or wheel the medicalwaste collection devices or canisters thereof to disposal stations toempty and clean the canisters. This requires the hospital personnel tomove a medical waste collection device to a disposal station, wait foran emptying and cleaning procedure to be performed, move the medicalwaste collection device back to the operating room, reenter theoperating room, and set up the medical waste collection device againbefore surgery can be commenced or resumed. Furthermore, the medicalwaste collection devices can require battery power and therefore must becharged before, during or after the procedure, thereby requiring evenmore time and effort of the hospital personnel. Therefore, there is aneed for a waste collection device and system that overcomes one or moreof the aforementioned disadvantages.

SUMMARY

An autonomous medical waste collection assembly autonomously collectsand disposes of medical waste generated during medical procedures (e.g.,surgical procedures) performed in a health care facility such as ahospital. The medical waste may include bodily fluids, body tissues,irrigation liquids, and/or other materials that may be generated duringvarious medical procedures. During the medical procedure, the assemblycollects the medical waste and stores the medical waste on-board untilsuch a time as a user is ready to have the assembly autonomouslyoff-load the medical waste and dispose of the medical waste. Once themedical waste fills the assembly or the user is ready to dispose of themedical waste, the assembly autonomously navigates to a docking station.At the docking station, the medical waste is emptied from the assemblyto a drain or treatment area and the assembly is cleaned for furtheruse.

According to one exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, theautonomous medical waste collection assembly comprises a base adapted tobe positioned near a patient. Wheels are coupled to the base. At leastone of the wheels is powered to move the base along a floor surface. Awaste collection unit is coupled to the base for receiving medical wastefrom the patient. The waste collection unit includes a canister and asuction pump. The canister is for holding the medical waste. The suctionpump is in fluid communication with the canister and configured to drawa suction on the canister. A controller is operable to initiate a wastedisposal protocol. The waste disposal protocol includes transmitting amovement signal to the powered wheel for automatically moving theautonomous medical waste collection assembly away from the patient to adisposal station. A user input device is in communication with thecontroller. The user input device is adapted to provide a user inputsignal in response to being actuated by a user. The controller isconfigured to initiate the waste disposal protocol in response toreceiving the user input signal.

In another exemplary embodiment, a medical waste collection system isprovided. The system comprises a disposal station, and an autonomousmedical waste collection assembly. The disposal station includes ahousing and a coupler. The coupler is coupled to the housing. Theautonomous medical waste collection assembly includes a base, wheels, awaste collection unit, a counterposing coupler, and a controller. Thebase is adapted to be positioned near a patient. The wheels are coupledto the base. At least one of the wheels is powered to move the basealong a floor surface. The waste collection unit is coupled to the basefor receiving medical waste from the patient. The waste collection unitincludes a canister and a suction pump. The canister is for holding themedical waste. The suction pump is in fluid communication with thecanister and configured to draw a suction on the canister. Thecounterposing coupler is coupled to the base. The counterposing coupleris adapted to be removably coupled with the coupler of the disposalstation. The controller is operable to initiate a waste disposalprotocol. The waste disposal protocol includes transmitting a movementsignal to the powered wheel for automatically moving the autonomousmedical waste collection assembly away from the patient to the disposalstation such that the coupler couples with the counterposing coupler toprovide a connection between the autonomous medical waste collectionassembly and the disposal station.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Advantages of the present invention will be readily appreciated, as thesame becomes better understood by reference to the following detaileddescription, when considered in connection with the accompanyingdrawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of an autonomous medicalwaste collection assembly with schematic representations of selectelectrical componentry.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a medical wastecollection system including the autonomous medical waste collectionassembly and a disposal station.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an embodiment of the medical wastecollection system including the autonomous medical waste collectionassembly and the disposal station.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an embodiment of the medical wastecollection system including the autonomous medical waste collectionassembly and a charging station.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an embodiment of the medical wastecollection system including the autonomous medical waste collectionassembly and the disposal station with the disposal station including anelectric source.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an embodiment of the medical wastecollection system including the autonomous medical waste collectionassembly, the disposal station, and a locator network.

FIG. 7 is a schematic view of an exemplary operating wing of a medicalfacility including the autonomous medical waste collection assembly, aplurality of disposal stations, the charging station, and a locatornetwork.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of an embodiment of the medical wastecollection system including first and second autonomous medical wastecollection assemblies and the locator network.

FIG. 9 is a schematic view of another exemplary operating wing of amedical facility including the first and second autonomous medical wastecollection assemblies, the plurality of disposal stations, the chargingstation, and the locator network.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart of an embodiment of a method of operating amedical waste collection system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to the Figures, wherein like numerals indicate like orcorresponding parts throughout several views, aspects of an autonomousmedical waste collection assembly 20 are provided. The assembly 20 mayinclude a base 22, a plurality of wheels 24, a waste collection unit 26,and a controller 28. The base 22 is adapted to be positioned near apatient 30 during the medical procedure. The base 22 supports the wastecollection unit 26. FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the assembly 20 wherethe base 22 includes a lower frame 32, an upper frame 34, a verticalchassis 36, and a handle 38. The base 22 can have any suitable shape.

The plurality of wheels 24 is coupled to the base 22 to provide mobilityto the assembly 20. For example, the assembly 20 can autonomously movearound a health care facility to collect the medical waste generatedduring medical procedures performed in different locations throughoutthe health care facility. The wheels can be coupled to the lower frame32, the vertical chassis 36, or a combination thereof. FIG. 1 shows anembodiment wherein two of the wheels 24 are coupled to the lower frame32, and another two of the wheels 24 are coupled to the vertical chassis36. In some embodiments, one or more of the plurality of wheels 24 is asteerable wheel, such as a wheel capable of swiveling on an axis. Instill other embodiments, the plurality of wheels 24 includes acombination of one or more fixed wheels and one or more steerablewheels. At least one of the wheels 24 is a powered wheel 40 tofacilitate autonomous movement of the assembly 20. FIG. 1 shows anembodiment of the assembly 20 having four wheels 24, one of which ispowered. The powered wheel 40 is powered by a motor 42 such that thepowered wheel 40 can move the assembly 20 along a floor surface of thehealth care facility. The motor 42 can be a brushed electric motor, abrushless electric motor, a stepper motor, a servomotor, an alternatingcurrent motor, or any other suitable type of motor for powering thepowered wheel 40 to move the assembly 20. The motor 42 is incommunication with the controller 28. The controller 28 can drive,steer, and/or navigate the assembly 20 through the medical facility byselectively powering and/or steering the powered wheel 40. For example,in some embodiments the controller 28 is configured to drive, steer, andnavigate the assembly 20 by selectively swiveling and powering thepowered wheel 40. In some embodiments, several of the wheels 24 arepowered wheels 40, and each of the powered wheels 40 has the motor 42attached thereto. Each of the motors is connected to the controller 28.The controller 28 can drive, steer, and navigate the assembly 20 byselectively swiveling and powering the powered wheels 40. In embodimentswhere the powered wheels 40 are fixed wheels, the controller 28 isconfigured to steer the assembly 20 by selectively powering the poweredwheels 40, such as by driving one of the powered wheels 40 in anopposite rotational direction of other of the powered wheels 40, therebyturning the assembly 20.

The controller 28 is configured to execute computer-executableinstructions to perform the functions of the assembly 20, such asinitiating the waste disposal protocol or the charging protocol. Thecontroller 28 may be a microprocessor, a microcontroller, a fieldprogrammable gate array (FPGA), a system on a chip (SoC), or any othersuitable type of controller for executing the functions of the assembly20.

The assembly 20 includes a memory component 56 in communication with thecontroller 28. The memory component 56 is configured to storecomputer-executable instructions to be executed by the controller 28.The memory component 56 stores computer-executable instructions definingthe waste disposal protocol and/or the charging protocol. The memorycomponent 56 may include random access memory (RAM), flash memory,non-volatile random access memory (NOVRAM), and/or any other suitableform of memory.

The waste collection unit 26 is coupled to the base 22 and configured toreceive medical waste from the patient during the medical procedure. Theassembly 20 collects the medical waste by suction during the medicalprocedure and stores the medical waste in the waste collection unit 26.In some embodiments, the assembly 20 also collects smoke, such as smokegenerated during electrocautery procedures. In other embodiments, theassembly 20 is configured to filter particles from the smoke and releasefiltered air. The waste collection unit 26 includes at least onecanister 44 configured to hold the medical waste, a suction pump 46, anda vacuum regulator 47. In the illustrated embodiment shown in FIG. 1,the assembly 20 includes two canisters 44. The canisters 44 can becoupled to the lower frame 32, the upper frame 34, or a combinationthereof. FIG. 1 shows an embodiment wherein a first canister is coupledto the upper frame 34 and a second canister is coupled to the lowerframe 32. The canister(s) 44 can be substantially cylindrical,frustoconical in shape, or any suitable shape for containing the medicalwaste. The canister 44 can be formed of glass or suitable plasticmaterial, or a combination thereof. The suction pump 46 is in fluidcommunication with the canister 44. In some embodiments, as shown inFIG. 1, the suction pump 46 is coupled to the vertical chassis 36. Thesuction pump 46 is configured to draw a suction on the canister 44 todraw the medical waste, such as liquid medical waste, into the canister44 during the medical procedure. In some embodiments, the suction pump46 is a rotary vane type vacuum pump mounted to the base 22. The vacuumregulator 47 is in communication with the suction pump 46 and configuredto regulate a level of the vacuum drawn through the suction line. Anexemplary vacuum regulator 47 arrangement suitable for the assembly 20is disclosed in commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 7,621,898 issued Nov. 29,2009, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

During a surgical procedure, a user such as a surgeon, nurse, oroperating room assistant holds an end of a suction line 48, such as aflexible tube, near or on a portion of the patient 30 where medicalwaste is present. The suction pump 46 provides suction to move themedical waste from the end of the suction line 48 through the suctionline 48 and into the waste collection unit 26. During some procedures,the end of the suction line 48 is connected to an end effector such asan endoscope, an electrocautery tool, an ablation device, or any othertype of surgical end effector or surgical tool. The suction pump 46provides suction to move the medical waste through both the end effectorand the suction line 48 and into the waste collection unit 26. The levelof suction is regulated by the vacuum regulator 47, and/or a level ofpower supplied to the suction pump 46. For example, during a boneablation procedure, medical waste is generated in the form of bodilyfluids such as blood, tissues such as skin tissue, muscle tissue, andconnective tissue, and particles of bone released during ablation.Furthermore, an area of the body of the patient where the procedure isbeing performed is often irrigated with saline to flush the bodilyfluids, tissues, and particles from the area being ablated. The medicalwaste also includes the saline. The surgeon can use an ablation tool toablate the bone, and the end of the tool can be coupled to the ablationtool. As the ablation tool ablates the bone, the medical waste can besuctioned through the suction line 48 coupled to the ablation suctionline 48 and into the canister 44 of the waste collection unit 26 fordisposal during or after completion of the ablation procedure.

The assembly 20 may include a manifold receiver 58 coupled to thecanister 44 and an indicator 60 coupled to the base 22 and incommunication with the controller 28. The manifold receiver 58 isconfigured to receive a disposable manifold (not shown), such asdescribed in commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 7,615,037, issued Nov. 10,2009, the entire contents of which is hereby incorporated by reference.The disposable manifold directs the medical waste from the patient 30through the suction line 48 and into the canister 44 during the medicalprocedure. The disposable manifold is disposed of between medicalprocedures, between use with different patients, and/or before disposalof the medical waste at the disposal station 50. In some embodiments,the indicator 60 is configured to alert the user to remove and disposeof the disposable manifold prior to initiation of a disposal protocol tobe described. The indicator 60 is also configured to alert the userregarding other alerts to be described. The indicator 60 can be, forexample, an LED, a video screen, a label, or any visual indicia, tactileindicia, auditory alert or other suitable type of indicator.

The assembly 20 includes a waste sensor 62 in communication with thecontroller 28. The waste sensor 62 is configured to sense an amount ofthe medical waste contained within the canister 44. The waste sensor 62can be, for example, a sensor rod configured to run through the canister44 with a plurality of reflecting elements and float elements situatednearby to facilitate sensing the amount of the medical waste. Inembodiments where the assembly 20 includes a plurality of canisters 44,amounts of the medical waste contained in each of the canisters 44 canbe measured by a separate waste sensor 62. The waste sensor 62 caninclude a waste sensor controller (not shown) configured to facilitatesensing of the amount of the medical waste. In some embodiments, thewaste sensor 62 is configured to provide a waste level signal to thecontroller 28 when the amount of the medical waste sensed by the wastesensor 62 exceeds a waste threshold level. In other embodiments, thewaste sensor 62 is configured to regularly or continuously provide thewaste level signal to the controller 28. The indicator 60 can displayindicia corresponding to the waste level signal such that the user canlearn the amount of the medical waste sensed by the waste sensor 62 bylooking at the indicator 60. The waste threshold level can be a level ofmedical waste contained in the canister 44 that is indicative of thecanister 44 being full or nearly full and therefore necessitatingdisposal of the medical waste contained in the canister 44 before moreof the medical waste is collected. In some embodiments, the wastethreshold level is stored in the memory component 58 in communicationwith the controller 28. The waste threshold level can be configuredrelative to a total volume of the canister 44 suitable for containingthe medical waste, e.g., 100% of the volume of the canister 44 or 80% ofthe volume of the canister 44. Conversely, the waste threshold level canbe configured to a volume of the medical waste, e.g., 1.5 liters of themedical waste or 0.8 liters of the medical waste. Additionally, thewaste threshold level can be a preset threshold level configured duringmanufacture and/or programming of the assembly 20. The waste thresholdlevel can otherwise, or additionally, be a threshold level configurableby hospital personnel or the user before, during, or after the medicalprocedure. In some embodiments, the waste threshold level isconfigurable depending on the nature of the medical waste. Some medicalprocedures generate more hazardous or toxic medical waste relative toother medical procedures, such as large amounts of hazardous blood andtissue being collected or large amounts of non-hazardous saline fluidbeing collected during the medical procedure. When the assembly 20 isused to collect the medical waste during procedures for which themedical waste is relatively non-hazardous or non-toxic, the wastethreshold level may be set to a higher volume or set higher relative thevolume of the canister 44 in order to maximize efficiency of the wastecollection. When the assembly 20 is used to collect the medical wasteduring procedures for which the medical waste is relatively hazardous ortoxic, the waste threshold level may be set to a lower volume or lowerrelative the volume of the canister 44. Setting the waste thresholdlevel to a lower volume or lower relative the volume of the canister 44can minimize risk of overflow of the toxic medical waste from thecanister 44 to protect the patient 30 and hospital personnel. Similarly,the waste threshold level may be set higher or lower based uponviscosity of the medical waste, temperature of the medical waste, or anyother suitable property of the medical waste or the surgical procedure.The controller 28 can be configured to send a signal to the suctionmotor 46 to stop suction and collection of the medical waste when thewaste threshold is reached or exceeded. In some embodiments, the wastesensor 62 is configured to send a raw waste level signal to thecontroller 28, and the controller 28 is configured to determine when theamount of the medical waste has reached the threshold level. The rawwaste level signal is an electric signal indicative of the amount of themedical waste contained in the canister 44. The indicator 60 can displayindicia corresponding to the raw waste level signal such that the usercan learn the amount of the medical waste sensed by the waste sensor 62by looking at the indicator 60. The amount of the medical waste can bemeasured based upon volume, weight, or any other suitable metric. Insome embodiments, the controller 28 is also configured to set the wastethreshold level automatically or in response to input by the user.

The assembly 20 includes an energy storage device 64 and an energystorage device sensor 66. The energy storage device 64 and the energystorage device sensor 66 are each in communication with the controller28. The energy storage device 64 is configured to provide electric powerto the controller 28, the powered wheel 40, the suction pump 46, thevacuum regulator 47, and/or any other components of the assembly 20 thatrequire electric power to function. In some embodiments, the assembly 20includes a plurality of energy storage devices 64, each of the energystorage devices 64 providing electric power to one or more of thecontroller 28, the powered wheel 40, the suction pump 46, the vacuumregulator 47, and any other components of the assembly 20 that requireelectric power to function. The controller 28 can route and regulate theelectric power to the other components of the assembly 20 that requireelectric power to function. For example, the energy storage device 64can supply power to the controller 28 and the controller 28 can route aportion of the electric power to the suction motor. The controller 28can further regulate function of the suction motor by regulating anamount of energy supplied to the suction motor, thereby increasing ordecreasing suctioning power of the suction motor. The energy storagedevice 64 can be a battery, a capacitor, or any other suitable devicefor storing electric power.

The energy storage device sensor 66 is configured to sense acharacteristic of the energy storage device 64. The characteristic ofthe energy storage device 64 can be a charge level, i.e., a measure ofelectric energy stored in the energy storage device 64. Thecharacteristic of the energy storage device 64 can be a power level,i.e., a measure of the electric power supplied by the energy storagedevice 64. The energy storage device sensor 66 is configured to providean energy storage device characteristic signal to the controller 28. Thecontroller 28 is configured to initiate a charging protocol to bedescribed when the energy storage device characteristic is below anenergy storage device characteristic threshold. The energy storagedevice characteristic threshold can be, for example, configured relativea maximum electric power capacity of the energy storage device 64, e.g.,5% of the capacity or 20% of the capacity. Additionally, the energystorage threshold can be configured according to expected electric powerusage. For example, a scheduled medical procedure that is expected touse a relatively large amount of electric power may require lowering theenergy storage threshold to allow relatively more power usage before theassembly 20 initiates charging or prompts the user to initiate acharging protocol with the controller 28. The energy storage thresholdcan be a preset threshold level configured during manufacture and/orprogramming of the assembly 20. The energy storage threshold canotherwise, or additionally, be a threshold level configurable byhospital personnel or the user before, during, or after the medicalprocedure. The energy storage device sensor 66 can include an energystorage controller (not shown) configured to facilitate sensing of thecharacteristic of the energy storage device. In some embodiments, theenergy storage device sensor 66 is configured to provide an energystorage threshold signal to the controller 28 when the characteristic ofthe energy storage device 64 sensed by the energy storage device sensor66 meets the energy storage device characteristic threshold. The energystorage device characteristic threshold can be a level of electric powerstored in the energy storage device 64 that is indicative of the energystorage device 64 being near an uncharged state and thereforenecessitating transferring of electric power to the energy storagedevice 64 before more of the medical waste is collected. In someembodiments, the energy storage device characteristic threshold isstored in the memory component 56. In some embodiments, the energystorage device sensor 66 is configured to send a raw energy storagedevice characteristic signal to the controller 28, and the controller 28is configured to determine when the amount of electric power stored inthe energy storage device 64, state of charge, voltage, and/or othersuitable electrical parameter has reached the threshold level. The rawenergy storage device characteristic signal is an electric signalindicative of the amount of the electric power stored in the energystorage device 64, or some other indicator of the performance of theenergy storage device. In some embodiments, the controller 28 is alsoconfigured to set the energy storage threshold automatically or inresponse to input by the user.

As previously described, the assembly 20 receives the medical wasteduring the medical procedure, with the medical waste being stored in thecanister 44. The canister 44 has a fixed volume, and the volume fillswith the medical waste during or after one or more medical procedures.Therefore, the canister 44 needs to be emptied of the medical wasteduring or after one or more medical procedures to prepare for collectingadditional medical waste during future medical procedures. As such, theassembly 20 is configured to execute a waste disposal protocol forautonomously disposing of the medical waste contained in the canister44. The waste disposal protocol is a series of steps executed bycomponents of the assembly 20 for autonomously navigating the assembly20 to the disposal station 50, establishing fluid communication betweenthe disposal station 50 and the canister 44, and emptying and cleaningthe canister 44 at the disposal station via the fluid communication.Consequently, it is not necessary for the hospital personnel to suspendtheir duties to carry or wheel the assembly 20 to the disposal station50 to empty and clean the canister 44. The waste disposal protocol caninclude additional steps, to be described.

Furthermore, the assembly 20 is portable and the electric components ofthe assembly 20 are at least partially powered by the energy storagedevice 64, and thus the assembly 20 requires recharging of electricpower stored in the energy storage device 64 during or after one or moremedical procedures to prepare for collecting additional medical wasteduring the future medical procedures. For example, the followingcomponents of the assembly 20 can require electric power to function:the controller 28, the powered wheel 40, the motor 42, the suction pump46, the vacuum regulator 47, the memory component 56, the indicator 60,the waste sensor 62, and the user input device 68. Additionally, somecomponents of the assembly 20 to be described may require electric powerto function. A finite amount of electric power is stored in the energystorage device, and the electric power is drained during use of theassembly, such as while collecting waste during the medical procedure orwhile navigating to the disposal station. As such, the energy storagedevice 64 requires recharging.

The execution of the waste disposal protocol by the assembly 20 mayinclude the assembly 20 receiving electric power. Additionally, in someembodiments to be described, the assembly 20 is configured to executethe charging protocol for autonomously receiving electric powerconcurrently with executing the waste disposal protocol for disposing ofthe medical waste. In some embodiments, the assembly 20 is configured toexecute the charging protocol for autonomously receiving electric powerseparately from executing the waste disposal protocol. In someembodiments, the controller 28 is configured to initiate the wastedisposal protocol according to signals received from the waste sensor62. For example, the controller 28 can be configured to initiate thewaste disposal protocol if the raw waste level signal indicates that theamount of the medical waste contained in the canister 44 is above thewaste threshold. Similarly, the controller 28 can be configured toinitiate the waste disposal protocol upon receiving the raw waste levelsignal and the energy storage device characteristic signal and comparingthe waste level signal and the energy storage device characteristicsignal with the waste level threshold and the energy storage threshold,respectively. The controller 28 can also be configured to initiate thecharging protocol upon, for example, receiving the energy storage devicecharacteristic signal or comparing the energy storage devicecharacteristic signal with the energy storage threshold.

The controller 28 may be configured to initiate one of the wastedisposal and the charging protocol in response to receiving the userinput signal on a user input device 68. The user input device 68 may becoupled to the base 22 and in communication with the controller 28. Theuser input device 68 can be, for example, a button, a switch, a toggle,a lever, a touch pad, a screen with touch controls, or a combinationthereof. In certain embodiments, the user input device 68 may be aremote or mobile device, such as a smartphone, tablet, and the like,that may be carried by a user, and separable from the assembly. In someembodiments, the assembly 20 includes a plurality of user input devices68. In some embodiments, the user input device 68 is remote from theassembly 20 and configured to wirelessly communicate with the controller28. The user input device 68 is configured to provide a user inputsignal to the controller 28 in response to being actuated by a user. Forexample, during a surgical procedure the amount of medical waste storedin the canister 44 may reach the waste level threshold. The indicator 60can alert a user that the waste level threshold has been reached, suchas by blinking or displaying a light, beeping, displaying a message,vibration, or any other suitable indication. The user can actuate theuser input device 68 when suitable, such as when medical procedure hasconcluded or when another assembly 20 is available to replace theassembly 20 in collected the medical waste, thereby initiating thedisposal procedure or the charging procedure to empty and clean thecanister 44 or to charge the energy storage device 64, respectively. Inembodiments where the assembly 20 includes a plurality of user inputdevices 68, one of the user input devices 68 can provide a first userinput signal to the controller 28 and other of the user input devices 68can provide a second user input signal to the controller 28. Thecontroller 28 can be configured to initiate the waste disposal protocolin response to receiving the first user input signal and to initiate thecharging protocol in response to receiving the second user input signal.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, in some embodiments the assembly 20 is partof a medical waste collection system 70. The medical waste collectionsystem 70 includes a disposal station 50 configured to clean thecanister 44 and remove the medical waste from canister 44, therebysanitizing and emptying the canister 44. The disposal station includes acleaning circuit 76 configured to clean the canister 44, for example bypumping water, detergent, and/or soap into the canister 44. Inparticular, the disposal station 50 is configured to clean and empty thecanister 44 by creating a closed environment between the canister 44 andthe disposal station 50, thereby reducing risk of hazardous or toxicmaterials from coming into contact with hospital personnel or patients30. The disposal station 50 is configured to empty the canister 44 byreceiving the medical waste from the canister 44 through a waste conduit52. The waste conduit 52 creates a fluid connection with the assembly20. The disposal station 50 is configured to clean the canister 44 ofthe assembly 20 by transferring water, soap, detergent, disinfectant, acombination thereof, or any other suitable cleaning or disinfectingsubstance into the canister 44 via the waste conduit 52. The disposalstation 50 can be situated outside of an operating room, such as in ahallway or closet of the health care facility. Alternatively, thedisposal station 50 can be situated inside an operation room.

With continued reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, the disposal station 50 mayinclude a housing 72 and a coupler 74. As illustrated, the coupler 74 iscoupled to the housing 72. The assembly 20 includes a counterposingcoupler 78. The counterposing coupler 78 is coupled to the base 22.During the waste disposal protocol, the coupler 74 couples with thecounterposing coupler 78 to align the assembly 20 with the waste conduit52 such that the medical waste can be transferred from the canister 44via the waste conduit 52. In some embodiments, the disposal station 50includes a plurality of couplers 74 and the assembly 20 includes aplurality of counterposing couplers 78. FIG. 2 shows an embodiment ofthe system 70 including a plurality of couplers 74 and counterposingcouplers 78 wherein the couplers 74 are located above the waste conduit52 and the counterposing couplers 78 are located beneath the canisters44 of the assembly 20. Gravitational force facilitates transfer of themedical waste from the canister 44 to the disposal station 50 via thewaste conduit 52 when the couplers 74 and counterposing couplers 78 arecoupled. In some embodiments, the coupler 74 includes a couplingelectromagnet and the counterposing coupler 78 includes a counterposingcoupling electromagnet in communication with the controller 28. Thecoupling and counterposing coupling electromagnets are configured to beselectively powered to form an attractive electromagnetic force betweenthe coupler 74 and the counterposing coupler 78, thereby securelycoupling the coupler 74 and the counterposing coupler 78 and aligningthe assembly 20 and the waste conduit 52. One suitable electromagneticcoupling is disclosed in the aforementioned commonly owned U.S. Pat. No.7,621,898 issued Nov. 29, 2009, the entire contents of which are herebyincorporated by reference. In other embodiments, the couplers 74 andcounterposing couplers 78 can conversely or additionally include amechanical interlocking mechanism, permanent magnets, or a combinationthereof.

The assembly 20 is configured to autonomously dock with the disposalstation 50. To facilitate the autonomous docking, in the illustratedembodiment, the disposal station 50 includes a marker 80 and theassembly 20 includes a marker sensor 82 in communication with thecontroller 28 to facilitate alignment of the coupler 74 and thecounterposing coupler 78. As the assembly 20 navigates toward thedisposal station 50, the assembly 20 must orient and align thecounterposing coupler 78 with the coupler 74 in order to execute thedisposal protocol. As such, the marker 80 can be disposed near thecoupler 74 and the marker sensor 82 can be disposed near thecounterposing coupler 78. The marker sensor 82 is configured to sensethe marker 80 and send signals to the controller 28 indicative of therelative position of the marker sensor 82 to the marker 80. Thecontroller 28 is configured to send signals to the powered wheel 40 toadjust facing, orientation, velocity, or any other necessary property ofthe assembly 20 in order to bring the marker sensor 82 in closeproximity with the marker 80, thereby facilitating coupling of thecoupler 74 and the counterposing coupler 78 for execution of thedisposal protocol. The marker 80 can be an infrared marker, an NFCantenna, an emitter, a colored marker, or any other suitable marker. Themarker sensor 82 can be an infrared sensor, an antenna, light sensor, orany other suitable marker sensor. It is also contemplated that themarker 80 may be disposed on the assembly 20, and the marker sensor 82may be disposed on the disposal station 50, with the controller 28 ofthe assembly 20 being in wireless communication with a controller of thedisposal station 50.

In some embodiments, the disposal station 50 includes a canister (notshown). The canister of the disposal station 50 is in fluidcommunication with the waste conduit 52 and adapted to receive themedical waste from the assembly 20. The canister of the disposal station50 is in fluid communication with the waste collection unit 26 via thewaste conduit 52 when the assembly 20 is coupled with the disposalstation 50. In embodiments where the disposal station 50 includes thecanister, the disposal station 50 can be substantially mobile, i.e., thedisposal station 50 can be moved between locations in the hospitalwithout necessitating infrastructural change to the hospital, such asplumbing or electrical changes. In other embodiments, the disposalstation 50 includes a drain 84. The drain 84 is adapted to receive themedical waste from the assembly 20 and transfer the medical wasteexternally to the disposal station 50, such as to a sewage line of thehospital.

Referring to FIG. 4, the system 70 includes the charging station 54. Thecharging station 54 may be separate from the disposal station 50 andfacilitates charging of the energy storage device 64. The chargingstation 54 is in electrical communication with an electric source. Theelectric source can be, for example, a power outlet, an uninterruptiblepower supply, a power conditioning system, a DC power system, or anyother suitable type of electric source. The charging station 54 isconfigured to transfer electrical energy from the electric source to theenergy storage device 64 when the assembly 20 is coupled with thecharging station 54. The charging station 54 can be situated outside ofan operating room, such as in a hallway of the health care facility. Thecharging station 54 can be situated inside an operation room (see FIG.7), or in any other suitable location. In some embodiments, the chargingstation 54 is situated in one or more operating rooms of the medicalfacility or hospital. The assembly 20 can be configured to inductivelyreceive electric power from the charging station 54 to charge the energystorage device 64 while the assembly 20 is being used to collect themedical waste during a surgical procedure.

The charging station 54 includes a housing and a coupler 75. The coupler75 is coupled to the housing of the charging station 54. In someembodiments, during the charging protocol, the coupler 75 of thecharging station 54 couples with a charging coupler 79 of the assembly20 to align the assembly 20 with the charging station 54 such that theassembly 20 can receive electric power from the charging station 54. Thecoupler of the charging station 54 is substantially similar to thecoupler 78 of the disposal station 50. The charging coupler 79 mayinclude circuitry configured to enable electric communication betweenthe energy storage device 64 and the charging station 54. The chargingstation 54 is configured to transfer electric power to the energystorage device 64 via the coupler 75 of the charging station and thecharging coupler 79. The charging coupler 79 is configured to beremovably coupled with the coupler 75 of the charging station 54 toreceive electric energy from the charging station 54, thereby chargingthe energy storage device 64. For example, the couplers 75, 79 may bemechanically engaged (e.g., a plug) in order to provide an electricalconnection between the charging station 54 and the assembly 20. Foranother example, the charging station 54 includes an inductive padforming the coupler with the inductive pad configured to wirelesslytransfer electrical energy from the electric source to the energystorage device 64.

In some embodiments, the disposal protocol is complementary to thecharging protocol. In other words, upon initiating the disposalprotocol, the assembly 20 performs both of disposing of the medicalwaste and charging the energy storage device 64. Referring to FIG. 5,the disposal station 50 facilitates charging the energy storage device64 while disposing of the medical waste and cleaning the canister 44. Inthe illustrated embodiment, the disposal station 50 is in electricalcommunication with an electric source. The disposal station 50 isconfigured to transfer electrical energy from the electric source to theenergy storage device 64 when the assembly 20 is coupled with thedisposal station 50. During the waste disposal protocol, the coupler ofthe charging station 54 couples with the charging coupler 79 to providea connection between the assembly 20 and the charging station 54. Theelectric source can be, for example, a power outlet, an uninterruptiblepower supply, a power conditioning system, a DC power system, or anyother suitable type of electric source. The electrically integrateddisposal station 50 is configured to transfer electrical energy from theelectric source to the energy storage device 64 when the assembly 20 iscoupled with the charging station 54. In some embodiments, the disposalstation 50 is configured to inductively transfer electric power to theassembly 20 to charge the energy storage device 64.

Upon initiation of the waste disposal protocol for reasons previouslydescribed (e.g., waste threshold signal, user input), the controller 28sends several signals to components of the assembly 20 and the assembly20 is configured to execute the waste disposal protocol according to thesignals, thereby autonomously emptying and cleaning the canister 44 ofthe waste collection unit 26 at the disposal station 50 and, in someembodiments, autonomously charging the energy storage device 64 at thedisposal station 50 and/or the charging station 54. Without limitation,the controller 28 is configured to send a waste disposal movement signalto the motor 42 connected to the powered wheel 40. The powered wheel 40automatically moves the assembly 20 away from the patient 30 uponreceiving the waste disposal movement signal. The powered wheel 40automatically navigates the assembly 20 to the disposal station 50 aftermoving away from the patient 30.

The controller 28 may be configured to send a manifold signal to theindicator 60 upon initiation of the waste disposal protocol. Uponreceiving the manifold signal, the indicator 60 is configured to promptthe user to remove the disposable manifold from the manifold receiver 58and dispose of the disposable manifold upon receiving the manifoldsignal. The assembly 20 can include a manifold sensor in communicationwith the controller 28 and situated near the manifold receiver 58. Themanifold sensor is configured to detect whether the disposable manifoldis in contact with the manifold receiver 58. The controller 28 will onlysend the manifold signal to the indicator 60 if the manifold sensordetects that the disposable manifold is in contact with the manifoldreceiver 58. The controller 28 is configured to send the waste disposalmovement signal after the disposable manifold is removed and disposed of

The controller 28 may be further configured to prevent initiation of thewaste disposal protocol during the medical procedure. More specifically,the controller 28 is configured to prevent initiation of the wastedisposal protocol to prevent the assembly 20 from moving from thepatient 30 while end effectors, suction lines 48, or other implementsconnected to the assembly 20 are in use to prevent movement of theassembly 20 and the end effectors, suctions tubes or other implementsconnected thereto away from the patient 30 from disrupting the surgicalprocedure. Prevention of the waste disposal protocol also prevents theassembly 20 from breaking a sterile field when moving away from thepatient 30, thereby preserving sterility and safety during the medicalprocedure. For example, if the waste disposal protocol would otherwisebe initiated in response to receiving the waste level signal from thewaste sensor 62 or in response to determining that the amount of themedical waste has reached the threshold level, the controller 28 maydelay providing the waste disposal signal until after the surgicalprocedure. In other words, the controller 28 is configured to prevent ordelay initiation of the waste disposal protocol during the medicalprocedure unless the waste disposal protocol is initiated as a result ofuser input. For example, the controller 28 can be configured to delayproviding the waste disposal signal while the suction pump 46 isactively suctioning waste. In some embodiments, the user can overrideprevention of initiation of the waste disposal protocol by actuating theuser input device.

Similar to the waste disposal protocol, the controller 28 can beconfigured to prevent initiation of the charging protocol during themedical procedure if, for example, the controller 28 receives the energystorage device characteristic signal from the waste sensor 62 during themedical procedure. Among other advantages, the controller 28 preventsthe assembly 20 from moving from the patient 30 while end effectors,suction lines 48, or other implements connected to the assembly 20 arein use and/or to avoid breaking a sterile field. In some embodiments,the user can override prevention of initiation of the charging protocolby actuating the user input device. Yet with initiation of the chargingprotocol prevented, for example during the medical procedure, it may bedesirable or necessary to supply power to the assembly 20. For example,should the energy storage characteristic be undesirably low relative toanticipated remaining time (and corresponding energy consumption of theassembly 20) of the medical procedure, it will be necessary to supplypower to the assembly 20 to, among other functions of the assembly 20,avoid inadvertent loss of suction from the suction pump 46. Therefore,in some embodiments, the assembly 20 includes an energy supply device(not shown) configured to receive power from an energy source and supplythe power to the assembly 20. For example, the energy supply device maybe a cord extending from any suitable structure of the assembly 20 suchas the lower frame 32, the upper frame 34, or the vertical chassis 36.The base 22 can have any suitable shape. A plug at the end of the cordis configured to couple with an outlet associated with a station, forexample the charging station 54, and/or a wall of the medical facility.Additionally or alternatively, the energy storage device 64 may bereplaceable with another energy storage device 64. In one example, theenergy storage device 64 is an external battery (e.g., a Lithium-ionbattery) capable of being decoupled from the remainder of the assembly20. Complementary contacts between the battery and a battery receiverare disengaged, and a replacement battery is disposed within the batteryreceiver with corresponding contacts engaged to supply the supply powerto the assembly 20. In such a situation where energy supply deviceand/or the replacement energy storage device 64 is utilized, thecontroller 28 may be configured to provide a notification to, forexample, a hub controller 96. In manners to be described, the hubcontroller 96 polls each of the controllers 28 of the additionalassemblies to receive information regarding the amount of energy in eachof the energy storage devices 64. The hub controller 96 can then selectone of the additional assemblies to navigate to the duty station torelieve the assembly 20 with the purportedly lower energy storagecharacteristic. Moreover, the controller 28 may also provide anotification to the user.

The memory component 56 is configured to store a disposal schedule forscheduling initiation of the waste disposal protocol. Times to scheduleinitiation of the waste disposal protocol include, for example, an endof scheduled hours of surgery for an operating wing of a hospital, or atime prior to scheduled hours of surgery for an operating wing of thehospital. The controller 28 of the disposal station 50 is configured toinitiate the waste disposal protocol as scheduled according to thedisposal schedule. For example, a hospital may have an operating winghaving several operating rooms staffed for scheduled operations between9 a.m. and 5 p.m. The disposal schedule can include scheduled initiationof the waste disposal protocol at 8 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. in order toconveniently have the assembly 20 autonomously empty and clean thecanister 44 of the assembly 20 and/or recharge the energy storage device64 without the waste disposal protocol or the charging protocolconflicting with scheduled medical procedures. Any other suitable timesmay be scheduled in the disposal schedule for initiation of the wastedisposal protocol, such as in between scheduled medical procedures. Thecontroller 28 can be configured to initiate the waste disposal protocolwithout actuation of the user input if the waste disposal protocol isinitiated during a scheduled time according to the disposal schedule. Insome embodiments, the disposal schedule corresponds to a hospitalnetwork system, such as an operation scheduling system, a staffscheduling system, a resource management system, an electronic medicalrecord (EMR), a combination thereof, or any other suitable hospitalnetwork system. The disposal schedule may be stored at other memorylocations other than memory component 56. The EMR is a computer-basedsystem for storage and transfer of hospital data such as patient data,resource data, device data, and other types of data relevant tooperation of the hospital. Scheduled surgical procedures may be storedin the EMR and transferred from the EMR to the memory component 56 ofthe assembly 20 via a hospital network. The disposal schedule can beconfigured to correspond to the scheduled surgical procedures, such asby scheduling the waste disposal procedure to be initiated before thescheduled surgical procedures begin, after the scheduled surgicalprocedures end, between the surgical procedures, or a combinationthereof. As such, the memory component may be dynamically linked to theEMR such that as new procedures are scheduled, the controller 28appropriately initiates the charging and/or disposal protocol.

The memory component 56 is configured to store a charging schedule. Thecharging schedule includes one or more times to initiate the chargingprotocol. The controller 28 is configured to initiate the chargingprotocol according to the charging schedule. Similarly to the disposalschedule, the one or more times to initiate the charging can correspondto an end time of the medical procedure. For example, in someembodiments the charging schedule can correspond to a medical procedureschedule of an operating wing of a health care facility, the medicalprocedure schedule including beginning times and expected end times foreach of the medical procedures. The charging schedule can correspondsuch that the controller 28 initiates the charging protocol atappropriate times between the medical procedures, thereby enabling theenergy storage device 64 to be substantially charged as necessary forthe medical procedures. In other embodiments, the charging schedule cancorrespond to an end of daily operations for the operating wing. Thecharging schedule can correspond such that the controller 28 initiatesthe charging protocol at or near the end of daily operations for theoperating wing, thereby enabling the energy storage device 64 to besubstantially charged before operations start on a following day. Insome embodiments, the disposal schedule corresponds to a hospitalnetwork system such as the EMR.

At some times, the canister 44 of the assembly 20 needs to be emptiedand cleaned quickly, for example in between or during scheduled medicalprocedures. However, quick emptying and cleaning of the canister 44 ofthe assembly can leave some amount of the medical waste and/or bacteriaor toxic material in the canister 44 of the assembly. As such, at othertimes the canister 44 of the assembly 20 needs to be emptied and cleanedmore thoroughly, such as overnight or after an end of day for a surgicalwing. As such, in some embodiments, the waste disposal protocol includesa plurality of disposal modes. Each of the disposal modes includes adifferent amount of time the assembly 20 and the disposal station 50 areto be coupled while removing the medical waste from the waste collectionunit 26. The controller 28 can be configured to automatically select oneof the disposal modes. The controller 28 can select one of the disposalmodes based on an amount of the medical waste within the wastecollection unit 26, the amount of medical waste to be removed from thewaste collection unit 26, a type of medical procedure that the assemblywas used for, a type of medical waste inside the container, a length oftime the medical waste has been stored in the canister 44, or acombination thereof. By way of non-limiting example, the waste disposalprotocol can include a quick docking mode, a normal docking mode, and anextended docking mode. When the controller 28 initiates the wastedisposal protocol with the quick docking mode, the assembly 20 can beconfigured to couple to the disposal station 50 for approximately fiveminutes. The quick docking mode is suitable for emptying and cleaningthe canister 44 of the assembly in between or during medicalpropcedures. When the controller 28 initiates the waste disposalprotocol with the normal docking mode, the assembly 20 can be configuredto couple to the docking station for approximately thirty minutes,thereby more effectively emptying and cleaning the canister 44 of theassembly than the quick docking mode. The normal docking mode issuitable for emptying and cleaning the canister 44 of the assemblybefore or after a scheduled day of medical procedures, such as atmorning or at night. When the controller 28 initiates the waste disposalprotocol with the extended docking mode, the assembly 20 can beconfigured to couple to the disposal station 50 for approximately twohours, thereby more effectively emptying and cleaning the canister 44 ofthe assembly than the quick or normal docking modes. The extendeddocking mode is suitable for periodically emptying and cleaning thecanister 44 of the assembly, such as weekly, biweekly, monthly,quarterly, or biannually. The above identified times for each of themodes are merely exemplary with any length of time for each of the modesbeing contemplated by the present disclosure.

In some embodiments, the disposal modes also include different types oramounts of disinfectant or detergent to be used by the disposal station50 to clean the canister 44 of the assembly during the waste disposalprotocol. The controller can automatically select the amounts and/ortypes of disinfectants or detergents based on the type of medical wastecollected, or a type of procedure that the assembly was used for, forexample, some medical procedures collect large amounts of blood whileother medical procedures collect large amounts of saline. The controller28 can use a sensor to determine a type and/or amount of medical waste,such as determining that a large amount of blood has been collected orthat the assembly 20 is used in a medical procedure during which largeamounts of blood are typically collected. In response, the controller 28can initiate the waste disposal protocol with a disposal mode usingdisinfectants and/or detergents appropriate for cleaning large amountsof blood from the canister 44 of the assembly.

The controller 28 may be configured to select one of the disposal modesbased on a user input or the disposal schedule, thereby allowing a userto select one of the disposal modes while initiating the disposalprocedure. In embodiments where the assembly 20 includes a plurality ofuser inputs, each of the user inputs can be configured to enable thecontroller 28 to initiate the waste disposal protocol with a differentdisposal mode of the plurality of disposal modes. For example, one ofthe user inputs can be configured to enable to controller 28 to initiatethe waste disposal protocol with the quick disposal mode upon actuationof the one user input. Other of the user inputs can be configured toenable the controller 28 to initiate the waste disposal protocol withthe normal disposal mode upon actuation of the other user input. Stillanother of the user inputs can be configured to enable the controller 28to initiate the waste disposal protocol with the extended disposal modeupon actuation of the other user input. In some embodiments, a user canactuate the user input device 68 to configure one or more of thedisposal modes. For example, the user can actuate one user input of theuser input device 68 to configure the quick disposal mode to run forthree minutes, and actuate another user input of the user input device68 to initiate the disposal protocol with the quick disposal mode.Configurations of the disposal modes may be stored in the memorycomponent 56.

It is readily appreciated that the assembly 20 must be capable ofperforming autonomous movement to execute the aforementioned protocols,particularly movement within a complex and often crowded environment.Referring now to FIGS. 6 and 7, in some embodiments, a locator network94 is configured to track position of the assembly 20 and position ofthe disposal station 50 and/or the charging station 54. FIG. 6 shows ablock diagram of the locator network 94, the autonomous waste collectionassembly 20, and the disposal station 50. Tracking position of theassembly 20 and position of the disposal station 50 and/or the chargingstation 54 facilitates the controller 28 navigating the assembly 20 tothe disposal station 50 and/or the charging station 54. The locatornetwork 94 can send signals to the assembly 20 enable the controller 28to be aware of the position of the assembly 20, particularly within themedical facility. The locator network 94 can also send signals to theassembly 20 to enable the controller 28 to be aware of the position ofthe disposal station 50 and/or the charging station 54. The controller28 is configured to navigate the assembly 20 to the disposal station 50and/or the charging station 54 based upon signals received from thelocator network 94. The locator network 94 can include a hub controller96, a memory component 95, and a transceiver 97. The hub controller 96is configured to execute computer-executable instructions to perform thefunctions of the locator network 94. The hub controller 96 can be amicroprocessor, a microcontroller, a field programmable gate array(FPGA), a system on a chip (SoC), or any other suitable type ofcontroller for executing the functions of the locator network 94. Thememory component 95 of the locator network 94 is in communication withthe hub controller 96 and is configured to store data and instructionsrelated to functions of the locator network 94. The locator network 94is configured to send signals to the assembly 20 and receive signalsfrom the assembly via the transceiver 97. In some embodiments, theassembly 20 includes a transceiver 99 configured to send signals to thetransceiver 97 of the locator network 94 and receive signals from thetransceiver 97 of the locator network 94.

The medical waste collection system 70 includes a plurality of locatorsensors 98 in communication with the locator network 94. The locatorsensors 98 can be in wired or wireless communication with the locatornetwork 94. The locator sensors 98 can be optical, infrared,sonographic, or any other suitable detection-based technology configuredto wirelessly detect a device at a distance. The locator sensors 98 canbe mounted to walls and/or the ceiling within hallways of the medicalfacility, or can be situated at any other suitable position within themedical facility. FIG. 7 shows an exemplary layout of the locatorsensors 98 situated in an operating wing of a hospital. The locatorsensors 98 can be configured to detect a tracking device coupled to theassembly 20. Further, the locator sensors 98 can be configured to detecta tracking device of the disposal station 50 and/or the charging station54. The tracking devices can include, for example, GPS units and RFIDchips. The controller 28 is configured to receive a current locationinput signal and a disposal location input signal from the locatornetwork 94 within the medical facility. The current location inputsignal is based on a current location of the assembly 20. The disposallocation input signal is based on a disposal location of the disposalstation 50. In some embodiments, the controller 28 is configured toreceive a charging location input signal from the locator network 94within the medical facility. The charging location input signal is basedon a charging location of the charging station 54.

The controller 28 is configured to navigate the assembly 20 to thedisposal station 50 and/or the charging station 54 based on the currentlocation input signal and the disposal location input signal. Thecontroller 28 navigates the assembly 20 according to the currentlocation input signal and the disposal location input signal and/or thecharging location input signal. The controller 28 is configured tonavigate the assembly 20 by selectively powering the motor 42 of thepowered wheel 40 to move and steer the assembly 20 toward the disposallocation and/or the charging location.

In some embodiments, the system 70 includes a plurality of disposalstations 50, as shown in FIG. 7, as well as one or more chargingstations 54. The controller 28 may be further configured to receive acurrent location input signal as well as disposal location input signalsfor each of the disposal stations 50 and charging location input signalsfor each of the charging stations 54. Upon initiating the waste disposalprotocol, the controller 28 is configured to navigate the assembly 20 toone of the disposal stations 50 according to the corresponding disposallocation input signal. The controller 28 can decide to which of thedisposal stations 50 to navigate based on factors such as distance,time, and whether another assembly 20 is already performing the wastedisposal protocol at one or more of the disposal stations 50. Forexample, the system 70 can include first and second paths 104, 106 tothe disposal stations 50. The controller 28 may be configured to usedecision-making logic to determine whether to navigate to the first path104 or the second path 106. The controller 28 may decide to navigate tothe first path 104 rather than the second path 106 due to a lesserdistance between the assembly 20 and the disposal station 50 via thefirst path 104 compared to a greater distance between the assembly 20and the disposal station 50 via the second path 106.

With continued reference to FIG. 7, in some embodiments the memorycomponent 56 is configured to store a location map. The location mapincludes a layout of at least a portion of the medical facility, thelayout being comprehensible by the controller 28. The controller 28selectively powers the motor 42 by calculating a trajectory based uponthe current location input signal and the disposal location input signaland/or the charging location input signal with respect to the locationmap. The controller 28 is configured to selectively power the motor 42to follow the trajectory. The controller 28 is configured to calculatethe trajectory based upon the current location input signal and thedisposal location input signal when the waste disposal protocol isinitiated such that the controller 28 navigates the assembly 20 to thedisposal station 50. Alternatively, the controller 28 is configured tocalculate the trajectory based upon the current location input signaland the charging location input signal when the charging protocol isinitiated such that the controller 28 navigates the assembly 20 to thecharging station 54.

In some embodiments, the memory component 56 is configured to store aplurality of defined paths 102 within the medical facility. The definedpaths 102 are predefined paths, for example, paths along one or morehallways of an operating wing of a hospital, between locations in themedical facility. The defined paths 102 can be predefined paths betweenoperating rooms and the disposal station 50 and/or the charging station54. The controller 28 is configured to navigate the assembly 20 to thedisposal station 50 and/or the charging station 54 along one of thedefined paths 102. The controller 28 is configured to navigate theassembly 20 to the disposal station 50 and/or the charging station 54based on a distance between the current location and the disposallocation. For example, the defined paths 102 can include the first path104 between an operating room and a first disposal station 50 and thesecond path 106 between the operating room and a second disposal station50. Upon initiating the waste disposal protocol, the controller 28 candetermine whether the assembly 20 is positioned at the first operatingroom or the second operating room based on the current location inputsignal. The controller 28 can determine whether to navigate the assembly20 to the first disposal station 50 along the first path 104 or to thesecond disposal station 50 along the second path 104. In someembodiments, the defined paths 102 include a plurality of paths betweeneach of the operating rooms and each of the disposal stations 50 and/orcharging stations 54.

One or more spatial awareness sensors 112 may be provided and incommunication with the controller 28. An embodiment of the assembly 20including one spatial awareness sensor 112 is described herein forsimplicity of description. The spatial awareness sensor 112 isconfigured to sense objects obstructing the assembly 20 while theassembly 20 is navigating to the disposal station 50 and/or the chargingstation 54, such as along one of the defined paths 102. The spatialawareness sensor 112 can be a capacitive sensor, a capacitivedisplacement sensor, a Doppler Effect sensor, an eddy-current sensor, aninductive sensor a magnetic sensor, an optical sensor, a radar device, asonar device, a lidar device, a combination thereof, or any othersuitable type of sensor. The controller 28 is configured to direct theassembly 20 to deviate from the path in response to the sensedobstruction 118. After deviating from the path, the controller 28 isconfigured to navigate the assembly 20 around the obstruction 118 tocontinue to the destination, i.e., the disposal station 50 or thecharging station 54, once the assembly 20 has navigated around theobstruction 118. The controller 28 can determine that the obstruction118 cannot be navigated around, in which case the controller 28 isconfigured to determine an alternate path to the disposal station 50 orthe charging station 54, or to navigate to a different disposal station50 or charging station 54. The sensed obstruction 118 can be, forexample, a doctor, a nurse, other hospital personnel, a patient 30, awheelchair, a hospital bed, a cabinet, or any other obstruction 118 thatmay be present in the medical facility. Upon sensing the obstruction118, the controller 28 is configured to direct the assembly 20 todeviate in order to prevent the assembly 20 from colliding with thesensed obstruction 118 while navigating to the disposal station 50and/or the charging station 54 during the waste disposal protocol or thecharging protocol. In some embodiments, the spatial awareness sensor 112is also configured to assist in aligning the assembly 20 with thedisposal station 50. For example, the spatial awareness sensor 112 candetect location of the disposal station 50 relative the assembly 20 whenthe assembly 20 is near the disposal station 50. The controller 28 canthen send signals to the motor 42 of the powered wheel 40 to bring thecounterposing coupler 78 near the coupler 74 based upon the signals fromthe spatial awareness sensor 112.

It is readily appreciated that the autonomous movement of the assembly20 and the additional automated features of the system 70 of the presentdisclosure advantageously relieves hospital personnel from suspendingtheir duties to carry out many tasks previously incumbent on them toperform. In certain situations, however, it may be desirable to operatethe assembly 20 in the absence of the autonomous movement and/orautomated features. In other words, it may be desirable for the user to“opt out” of an autonomous mode to operate the assembly 20 in what maybe considered a manual mode. Exemplary instances or situations where themanual mode may be desired include servicing the assembly 20, “one off”or unexpected uses, repositioning of the assembly 20 within the medicalfacility or more particularly the operating room, and avoidingcongestion within hallways of the medical facility during especiallybusy times. For example, it may be necessary to reposition the assembly20 within the operation room, and the powered wheel 40 may provideresistance to such movement. As opposed to programming or inputting theneeded movement, it may be easier to simply maneuver the assembly 20manually to the desired position. The actuation of the assembly 20between the autonomous and manual modes may include the user inputdevice 68 receiving an input from the user. In the autonomous mode, forexample, the assembly 20 may include engagement of a clutch mechanism 49(see FIG. 1) with the motor 42 of the powered wheel 40 that prevents theuser from manually moving (e.g., pushing) the assembly 20 along thefloor surface. The clutch mechanism 49 is in communication with thecontroller 28 and the user input device 68. As the assembly 20 movesfrom the autonomous mode to the manual mode, the clutch mechanism 49 maydisengage from the motor 42 to permit the powered wheel 40 to movefreely along with remaining wheels 24 of the assembly 20. In anotherexample, provided adequately stability is maintained by the assembly 20,a lift mechanism 51 (see FIG. 1) coupled to the powered wheel 40 and incommunication with the controller 28 and the user input device 68. Asthe assembly 20 moves from the autonomous mode to the manual mode, forexample consequent to an input to the user input device 68, the liftmechanism 51 moves the powered wheel 40 away from the floor surface suchthat the powered wheel 40 is no longer contacting the same. Should theremaining wheels 24 be non-powered, the assembly 20 may be manuallymoved freely along the floor surface. The assembly 20 may be repeatedlymoved between the autonomous and manual modes as desired.

Referring to FIGS. 8 and 9, in some embodiments, the assembly 20 is afirst autonomous medical waste collection assembly 114 and the medicalwaste collection system 70 includes a second autonomous medical wastecollection assembly 116. The second assembly 116 includes a base, aplurality of wheels coupled to the base and including a powered wheel, awaste collection unit coupled to the base and including a canister and asuction pump in fluid communication with the canister, a vacuumregulator in communication with the suction pump, a counterposingcoupler coupled to the base, and a controller. The base, the pluralityof wheels, the waste collection unit, the counterposing coupler 78, andthe controller of the second assembly 116 may be configured similarly tothe base 22, the plurality of wheels 24, the waste collection unit 26,the counterposing coupler 78, the charging coupler 79, and thecontroller 28 of the first assembly 114. The second assembly 116 may besubstantially similar to the first assembly 114 in both structure andfunction.

The disposal stations 50 and the charging station 54 can each onlyfacilitate execution of the disposal procedure for a limited number ofthe assemblies simultaneously. For example, in some embodiments, onlyone of the assemblies 114, 116 can be coupled with each of the disposalstations 50 at a time. As such, for example, the first assembly 114coupled with the disposal station 50 must decouple from the disposalstation 50 before the second assembly 116 can couple with the disposalstation 50 to execute the disposal protocol. If the controller 28 of thefirst assembly 114 initiates the disposal protocol while the secondassembly 116 is executing the disposal protocol, a conflict may occurwhere the second assembly 116 is occupying the disposal station 50 towhich the controller 28 of the first assembly 114 is trying to navigatethe first assembly 114 to execute the disposal protocol. Similarly, ifthe controllers 28 of the first and second assemblies 114, 116 initiatethe disposal protocol at similar times, a conflict may occur where eachof the first and second assemblies 114, 116 are navigating the first andsecond assemblies114, 116, respectively, to execute the disposalprotocol at the disposal station 50. Similar issues may arise withregard to the charging stations 54. To resolve such conflicts, in someembodiments, the first and second assemblies 114, 116 are each adaptedto be removably coupled to the charging in an interchangeable mannersuch that the first and second assemblies 114, 116 form a queue if wastedisposal protocols of the first and second assemblies 114, 116 have eachbeen initiated and are concurrently active. The queue facilitates one ormore of the assemblies 114, 116 waiting until other of the assemblies114, 116 have finished executing the disposal protocol before couplingwith the disposal station 50. The queue can be stored in one or more ofthe memory components 56 of the assemblies 114, 116, the memorycomponent of the locator network 94, or a combination thereof. Likewise,in certain embodiments, a singular one of the first and second wasteassemblies 114, 116 can be coupled to the charging at one time. In suchembodiments, the controller of the second assembly 116 is configured toqueue if the first assembly 114 is positioned at the charging station54. The second assembly 116 can queue by suspending the chargingprotocol of the second assembly 116 and waiting until the first assembly114 has completed the charging protocol of the first assembly 114 beforereinitiating or resuming the charging protocol of the second assembly116. The second assembly 116 can navigate near or adjacent to thecharging station 54 before suspending the waste disposal protocol of thesecond assembly 116.

The locator network 94 is configured to track location of each of thefirst and second assemblies 114, 116 as well as any number of disposalstations 50 and/or charging stations 54. The locator network 94 isconfigured to send signals to the controllers of each of the first andsecond assemblies to make each of the first and second assemblies 114,116 aware of locations of other of the first and second assemblies 114,116. In some embodiments, the controller of the second assembly 116 isconfigured to receive a first location input signal and a secondlocation input signal from the locator network 94. The first locationinput signal is based on a first location of the first assembly 114. Thesecond location input signal is based on a second location of the secondassembly 116. In some embodiments, the first and second assemblies areeach adapted to be removably coupled to the disposal station 50 in aninterchangeable manner such that the first and second assemblies 114,116 form a queue if waste disposal protocols of the first and secondassemblies 114, 116 have each been initiated and are concurrentlyactive. In certain embodiments, a singular one of the first and secondwaste assemblies 114, 116 can be coupled to the disposal station 50 atone time. In such an embodiment, the controller 28 of the secondassembly 116 is configured to queue if the first assembly 114 ispositioned at the disposal station 50. The second assembly 116 can queueby suspending the waste disposal protocol of the second assembly 116 andwaiting until the first assembly 114 has completed the waste disposalprotocol of the first assembly 114 before reinitiating or resuming thewaste disposal protocol of the second assembly 116. The second assembly116 can navigate near or adjacent to the disposal station 50 beforesuspending the waste disposal protocol of the second assembly 116.

When both of the first and second assemblies initiate the disposalprotocol, the hub controller 96 may be configured to select one of thefirst and second assemblies 114, 116 to perform the disposal procedure.The other of the first and second assemblies 114, 116 that is notselected, can be queued behind the one of the first and secondassemblies 114, 116 that is selected. The hub controller 96 selects theone of the first and second assemblies 114, 116 to perform the disposalprocedure prior to the other one of the first and second assemblies 114,116. The hub controller 96 may select the one of the first and secondassemblies 114, 116 based on relative amounts of the medical waste inthe waste collection units 26 of the first and second waste collectionassemblies 114, 116. For example, the hub controller 96 can poll each ofthe controllers 28 of the first and second assemblies to receiveinformation regarding the amount of the medical waste contained in eachof the canisters of the first and second assemblies 114, 116. The hubcontroller 96 can then select one of the first and second assemblies114, 116 to perform the waste disposal protocol based on the amount ofmedical waste in the waste collection unit. The hub controller 96 caninstruct other of the first and second assemblies 114, 116 to navigateto an operating room to receive waste during a medical procedure.Similarly, the hub controller 96 can poll each of the controllers 28 ofthe first and second assemblies 114, 116 to receive informationregarding the amount of energy in each of the energy storage devices 64of the first and second assemblies. The hub controller 96 can thenselect one of the first and second assemblies 114, 116 to perform thecharging protocol. The hub controller 96 can instruct other of the firstand second assemblies 114, 116 to navigate to an operating room toreceive waste during a medical procedure. The hub controller 96 may alsocontrol the queue for the charging protocol or the disposal protocolbased on the disposal schedule, the charging schedule, the type ofscheduled surgical procedure, the type of medical waste, etc.

At some times, it is expected that a user will initiate the disposalprotocol for the first assembly 114 during a medical procedure andbefore completion of the medical procedure. As such, the second assembly116 can be configured to navigate to the location of the first assembly114 in order to continue collecting the medical waste in place of thefirst assembly 114 while the first assembly 114 executes the disposalprotocol.

In some embodiments, the controller 28 of the first assembly 114 isconfigured to provide a replacement signal to the locator network 94 inresponse to actuation of the user input device 68. The user input device68 can be actuated by hospital personnel upon filling of the canister 44of the first assembly 114 during a medical procedure. In response toreceiving the replacement signal the locator network 94 provides thefirst and second location input signals to the controller 28 of thesecond assembly 116. The controller 28 of the first assembly 114 caninitiate the waste disposal procedure and the second assembly 116 canautonomously navigate to the first location to replace the firstassembly 114 in receiving the medical waste during the medicalprocedure. The controller of the second assembly 116 is configured toinstruct movement of the second assembly 116 to the first location viathe powered wheel of the second assembly 116. The controller of thesecond assembly 116 instructs movement of the second assembly 116 to thefirst location to replace the first assembly 114 at the first location.

Referring to FIG. 10, a method 200 of operating the medical wastecollection system 70 is shown. At step 202, the waste collection unit 26receives the medical waste from a patient during a medical procedure. Todo so, the assembly 20 may be positioned near the patient in the medicalfacility, for example the operating room (see FIG. 7). The user providesan input to the user input device 68 in communication with thecontroller 28. The controller 28 operates the suction pump 46, andperhaps the vacuum regulator 47, to regulate the level of suction drawnthrough the suction line 48. The medical waste is stored in at least oneof the canisters 44.

In one example, the raw waste level in the canister 44, as detected bythe waste sensor 62, exceeds the waste threshold level (step 204).Additionally or alternatively, the energy storage device characteristicof the energy storage device 64, as detected by the energy storagedevice sensor 66, falls below the energy storage device characteristicthreshold (step 206). Additionally or alternatively, a schedule asstored in the memory component 56 may indicate a scheduled performing ofthe disposal protocol and/or the charging protocol (step 208).Additionally or alternatively, the user may provide an input to the userinput device 68. The controller 28 in communication with the user inputdevice 68 receives the input (step 210). For any one or more of theabove, the assembly 20 autonomously moves to and couples with thestation; i.e., the disposal station 50 (see FIG. 3), the chargingstation 54 (see FIG. 4), or the integrated disposal-charging station 54(see FIG. 5) (step 212). For example, at step 212, the controller 28actuates powered wheel 42 to move the assembly 20 to the disposalstation 50. Any one or more of the sensors 82, 112 may be utilized tofacilitate the coupling of the assembly 50 with the station 50, 54 (step214). Further, the locator network 94 of the medical facility incommunication with the controller 28 may facilitate navigation of theassembly 20 to the station 50, 54, as previously described (step 216).

At step 218, the assembly 20 performs the disposal protocol whilecoupled to the disposal station 50. In particular, the disposal station50 autonomously removes the medical waste from the waste collection unit26. The disposal station 50 may perform a cleaning operation to cleanthe canisters 44 (step 230). Should the station be an integrateddisposal-charging station 54 (see FIG. 5), the charging station 54autonomously performs the charging protocol (step 222). In particular,electric power is transferred from the energy source to the energystorage device 64 of the assembly 20 (step 223), which may occursimultaneously with the disposal station 50 autonomously removing themedical waste from the waste collection unit 26. Otherwise, thecontroller 28 may actuate the powered wheel 42 to move the assembly 20to the charging station 54. Alternatively, should the energy storagedevice 64 not need additional electric power, the controller 28 mayactuate the powered wheel 42 to move the assembly 20 to return to theduty station or a storage location (step 234). The reversal of steps 218and 222 are contemplated in which the assembly 20 first couples with thecharging station 54. Likewise, should the canister 44 not need emptyingsubsequent to the energy storage device 64 receiving electric power, thecontroller 28 may actuate the powered wheel 42 to move the assembly 20to return to the duty station or a storage location (step 234).

In certain embodiments, the user input device 68 may receive an inputfrom the user as to a disposal mode, for example, a first disposal modeand a second disposal mode. Based on the input from the user, thecontroller 28 in communication with the user input device 68 may performthe disposal protocol to the medical waste removed for a first amount oftime according to the first disposal mode (steps 220 and 226), or for asecond amount of time according to the second disposal mode (steps 220and 228). The second amount of time is different than the first amountof time. The cleaning operation (step 230) may be performed in one orboth of the first and second disposal modes.

The assembly 20 may autonomously decouple from the station 50, 54 (step232). In an aforementioned example, the electromagnet may deenergize,thereby permitting movement of the assembly 20 relative to the station50, 54. The controller 28 may actuate the powered wheel 42 to move theassembly 20 to return to the duty station or a storage location (step234).

Clauses for Alternative Protection

Clause I. A method of operating a medical waste collection systemincluding an autonomous waste collection assembly including a base, atleast one powered wheel coupled to the base, a controller, a waste levelsensor in communication with the controller, an energy storage devicesensor in communication with the controller, and waste collection unitcoupled to the base, and a disposal station, said method comprising thesteps of: receiving with the waste collection unit the medical wastefrom a patient during a medical procedure; sensing with the waste levelsensor a waste level within the waste collection unit; determining withthe controller whether the waste level exceeds a waste level threshold;actuating the at least one powered wheel to move the autonomous medicalwaste collection assembly; navigating with the controller the autonomousmedical waste collection assembly to the disposal station; autonomouslycoupling the autonomous medical waste collection assembly and thedisposal station; and performing a disposal protocol to remove with thedisposal station the medical waste from the waste collection unit.

Clause II. The method of clause I, wherein the system includes acharging station, said method further comprising the steps of:autonomously coupling the autonomous medical waste collection assemblyand the charging station; and transferring electrical energy from anelectric source in communication with the charging station to an energystorage device of the autonomous medical waste collection assembly.

Clause III. The method of any one of clauses I and II, furthercomprising the steps of operating the medical waste collection assemblyin a first disposal mode for a first amount of time, and operating themedical waste collection assembly in a second disposal mode for a secondamount of time with the first and second amounts of time beingdifferent.

Clause IV. The method of clause III, further comprising selecting one ofthe first disposal mode and the second disposal mode based on at leastone of: (i) an amount of the medical waste within the waste collectionunit; (ii) an amount of the medical waste to be transferred from thewaste collection unit to the canister of the disposal station; (iii) auser input; (iv) a disposal schedule comprising one or more times thewaste disposal protocol is to be performed; and (v) and an amount oftime the waste collection unit has held the medical waste.

Clause V. The method of any one of clauses I-IV, wherein the autonomouswaste collection assembly includes a user input device, said methodfurther comprising the steps of: receiving an input with the user inputdevice to move the autonomous waste collection assembly from anautonomous mode in which the at least one powered wheel is controllablewith the controller for autonomous movement, to a manual mode in whichthe at least one powered wheel is disabled to permit manual movement ofthe autonomous waste collection assembly.

Clause VI. The method of clause V, wherein the autonomous wastecollection assembly includes a clutch mechanism coupled to the at leastone powered wheel, wherein disabling the at least one powered wheelincludes disengaging the clutch mechanism to permit the at least onepowered wheel to rotate freely.

Clause VII. A method of operating a medical waste collection systemincluding an autonomous waste collection assembly comprising a base, atleast one powered wheel coupled to the base, a controller, an energystorage device in communication with the controller, a waste collectionunit coupled to the base, and a charging station in electricalcommunication with an electric source, said method comprising the stepsof: receiving with the waste collection unit the medical waste from apatient during a medical procedure; sensing with the energy storagedevice sensor an energy level storage characteristic of the energystorage device; determining with the controller whether the energy levelstorage characteristic is below an energy level storage characteristicthreshold; actuating the at least one powered wheel to move theautonomous medical waste collection assembly; navigating with thecontroller the autonomous medical waste collection assembly to thecharging station; autonomously coupling the autonomous medical wastecollection assembly and the charging station; and performing a chargingprotocol to transfer electrical energy from an electric source of thecharging station to an energy storage device of the autonomous medicalwaste collection assembly.

Clause VIII. A medical waste collection system, said system comprising:a disposal station comprising: a housing; and a coupler coupled to saidhousing; and an autonomous medical waste collection assembly comprising:a base adapted to be positioned near a patient; wheels coupled to saidbase with at least one of said wheels being powered to move said basealong a floor surface; a waste collection unit coupled to said base forreceiving medical waste from the patient including: a canister forholding the medical waste; and a suction pump in fluid communicationwith said canister and configured to draw a suction on said canister; acounterposing coupler coupled to said base with said counterposingcoupler adapted to be removably coupled with said coupler of saiddisposal station; and a controller operable to initiate a waste disposalprotocol, said waste disposal protocol comprising transmitting amovement signal to said powered wheel for automatically moving saidautonomous medical waste collection assembly away from the patient tosaid disposal station such that said coupler couples with saidcounterposing coupler to provide a connection between said autonomousmedical waste collection assembly and said disposal station.

The present invention has been described herein in an illustrativemanner. It is to be understood that the terminology which has been usedis intended to be in the nature of words of description rather than oflimitation. Obviously, many modifications and variations of theinvention are possible in light of the above teachings. The inventionmay be practiced otherwise than as specifically described within thescope of the appended claims.

1. An autonomous medical waste collection assembly, said assemblycomprising: a base adapted to be positioned near a patient; wheelscoupled to said base with at least one of said wheels being powered tomove said base along a floor surface; a waste collection unit coupled tosaid base for receiving medical waste from the patient including: acanister for holding the medical waste; and a suction pump in fluidcommunication with said canister and configured to draw a suction onsaid canister; a controller operable to initiate a waste disposalprotocol, said waste disposal protocol comprising transmitting amovement signal to said powered wheel for automatically moving saidautonomous medical waste collection assembly away from the patient to adisposal station; and a user input device in communication with saidcontroller, said user input device being adapted to provide a user inputsignal in response to being actuated by a user; wherein said controlleris configured to initiate said waste disposal protocol in response toreceiving said user input signal.
 2. The autonomous medical wastecollection assembly of claim 1, further comprising a waste sensor incommunication with said controller with said waste sensor adapted tosense an amount of the medical waste contained within said canister andprovide a waste level signal to said controller, wherein said controlleris configured to initiate said waste disposal protocol in response tothe amount of the medical waste sensed by said waste sensor exceeding awaste threshold.
 3. The autonomous medical waste collection assembly ofclaim 1, further comprising an energy storage device and an energystorage device sensor in communication with said controller with saidenergy storage device sensor adapted to sense a characteristic of saidenergy storage device and provide an energy storage devicecharacteristic signal to said controller, wherein said controller isconfigured to initiate a charging protocol when said energy storagedevice characteristic is below an energy storage device characteristicthreshold, said charging protocol comprising transmitting a movementsignal to said powered wheel for automatically moving said autonomousmedical waste collection assembly away from the patient to a chargingstation.
 4. The autonomous medical waste collection assembly of claim 3,wherein said controller is configured to initiate one of said chargingprotocol and said waste disposal protocol in response to receiving saiduser input signal.
 5. The autonomous medical waste collection assemblyof claim 1, further comprising memory in communication with saidcontroller and adapted to store a disposal schedule comprising one ormore times to initiate said waste disposal protocol with said controllerconfigured to initiate said waste disposal protocol according to saiddisposal schedule.
 6. The autonomous medical waste collection assemblyof claim 5, wherein at least one of said one or more times correspondsto an end time of the medical procedure.
 7. The autonomous medical wastecollection assembly of claim 1, further comprising memory incommunication with said controller and adapted to store a chargingschedule comprising one or more times to initiate said charging protocolwith said controller configured to initiate said charging protocolaccording to said charging schedule.
 8. The autonomous medical wastecollection assembly of claim 1, wherein said controller is configured tooperate in an autonomous mode in which said controller transmits saidmovement signal to said powered wheel for automatically moving saidautonomous medical waste collection assembly away from the patient tothe disposal station, and a manual mode in which controller transmits adisengagement signal to said powered wheel providing for manual movementof said autonomous medical waste collection assembly.
 9. The autonomousmedical waste collection assembly of claim 8, further comprising aclutch mechanism coupled to said powered wheel and in communication withsaid controller, wherein said clutch mechanism is configured to operablydecouple from said powered wheel in response to said disengagementsignal.
 10. The autonomous medical waste collection assembly of claim 3,further comprising an energy supply device separate from said energystorage device with said energy supply device configured to be arrangedin electrical communication with an energy source.
 11. (canceled)
 12. Amedical waste collection system, said system comprising: a disposalstation comprising: a housing; and a coupler coupled to said housing;and an autonomous medical waste collection assembly comprising: a baseadapted to be positioned near a patient; wheels coupled to said basewith at least one of said wheels being powered to move said base along afloor surface; a waste collection unit coupled to said base forreceiving medical waste from the patient including: a canister forholding the medical waste; and a suction pump in fluid communicationwith said canister and configured to draw a suction on said canister; acounterposing coupler coupled to said base with said counterposingcoupler adapted to be removably coupled with said coupler of saiddisposal station; a controller; a user input device in communicationwith said controller, said user input device being adapted to provide auser input signal in response to being actuated by a user; and saidcontroller operable to initiate a waste disposal protocol in response toreceiving said user input signal, said waste disposal protocolcomprising transmitting a movement signal to said powered wheel forautomatically moving said autonomous medical waste collection assemblyaway from the patient to said disposal station such that said couplercouples with said counterposing coupler to provide a connection betweensaid autonomous medical waste collection assembly and said disposalstation.
 13. The medical waste collection system of claim 12, whereinsaid disposal station further comprises a canister adapted to receivethe medical waste with said canister of said disposal station being influid communication with said waste collection unit of said autonomousmedical waste collection assembly when said autonomous medical wastecollection assembly is coupled with said disposal station.
 14. Themedical waste collection system of claim 12, further comprising anenergy storage device and an energy storage device sensor incommunication with said controller with said energy storage devicesensor adapted to sense a characteristic of said energy storage deviceand provide an energy storage device characteristic signal to saidcontroller, wherein said controller is configured to initiate a chargingprotocol when said energy storage device characteristic is below anenergy storage device characteristic threshold.
 15. The medical wastecollection system of claim 14, wherein the movement signal is a firstmovement signal, further comprising a charging station comprising ahousing and a coupler coupled to said housing and wherein said chargingprotocol comprises transmitting a second movement signal to said poweredwheel for automatically moving said autonomous medical waste collectionassembly away from the patient to said charging station such that saidcoupler of said charging station couples with said counterposing couplerto provide a connection between said autonomous medical waste collectionassembly and said charging station with said charging station inelectrical communication with an electric source and adapted to transferelectrical energy from the electric source to said energy storage devicewhen said autonomous medical waste collection assembly is coupled withsaid charging station.
 16. The medical waste collection system of claim11, wherein said disposal station is in electrical communication withthe electric source with said disposal station adapted to transferelectrical energy from the electric source to said energy storage devicewhen said autonomous medical waste collection assembly is coupled withsaid disposal station.
 17. The medical waste collection system of claim12, wherein said waste disposal protocol comprises a plurality ofdisposal modes with each of said disposal modes comprising a differentamount of time said autonomous waste collection assembly and saiddisposal station are coupled while removing the medical waste from saidwaste collection unit.
 18. The medical waste collection system of claim17, wherein said controller is adapted to select one of said disposalmodes based on at least one of an amount of the medical waste withinsaid waste collection unit, an amount of the medical waste to be removedfrom said waste collection unit, and an amount of time the wastecollection unit has held the medical waste.
 19. The medical wastecollection system of claim 17, further comprising memory incommunication with said controller and adapted to store a disposalschedule comprising one or more times to initiate said waste disposalprotocol with said controller configured to initiate said waste disposalprotocol according to said disposal schedule and wherein said controlleris adapted to select one of said disposal modes based on a user input orsaid disposal schedule.
 20. The medical waste collection system of claim12, wherein said controller is configured to receive a current locationinput signal and a disposal location input signal from a locator networkwithin a medical facility, said current location input signal based on acurrent location of said autonomous medical waste collection assembly,and said disposal location input signal based on a disposal location ofsaid disposal station, and wherein said controller is configured tonavigate said autonomous waste collection assembly to said disposalstation based on said current location input signal and said disposallocation input signal.
 21. The medical waste collection system of claim20, further comprising memory in communication with said controller andadapted to store a plurality of defined paths within the medicalfacility with said controller adapted to navigate said autonomousmedical waste collection assembly to said disposal station along one ofsaid defined paths based on a distance between the current location ofsaid autonomous medical waste collection assembly and the disposallocation of said disposal station.
 22. The medical waste collectionsystem of claim 21, further comprising a spatial awareness sensor incommunication with said controller and configured to sense objectsobstructing said one defined path as said autonomous medical wastecollection assembly is navigated between the current location and thedisposal location, wherein said controller is adapted to direct saidautonomous medical waste collection assembly to deviate from said onedefined path in response to said sensed obstruction by said spatialawareness sensor. 23-26. (canceled)